Tools for Living A Divine Life

You can live a divine life by living in tune with the highest good. The greatest tools that you require for a divine life are wisdom, trust, honour and gratitude. You cannot have a pure or devout mind without wisdom and trust. Likewise, you cannot be proud of your accomplishments without expressing gratitude for all the elements and influences that were a vital part of your success. You cannot live a divine life without honesty, respect, acceptance and curiosity; these are the ways that you'll develop wisdom, trust, honour, and gratitude in your day to day experiences.

"It is not wise to complain in the absence of helpful instruction." Monica Who

When you experience something that is not ideal, you should spend time considering why the experience was not ideal and think of how it could have been most ideal. Only when you have achieved a deep level of understanding of the problem can you work to improve or resolve the issue at hand. You develop true wisdom by examining and learning from your own mistakes, as well as the mistakes made by others in your experiences. Learn as much as you can from the experiences of others, including their mistakes and their successes, so you wont have to make the same mistakes in your own experiences.

In relationships like business partnerships, friendships, and marriage, you can also avoid a lot of minor annoyances and friction by communicating your ideas clearly and in a helpful manner when you encounter a difference of opinion or a conflict that needs to be resolved. When you listen carefully to others in order to learn from what they tell you, and you communicate your ideas, needs, and complaints with wisdom, you are showing respect for yourself and others. This is how we honour others in our communications with them, and when you communicate in this way, it promotes mutual trust and respect.

People will know they can trust you when you communicate your intentions and needs very clearly and honestly, and respect the other person's needs, intentions and feelings. Mutual trust is required for any successful relationship, including personal and work relations, as well as friendships and business connections. You need to follow through with your responsibilities and promises and conduct yourself with great integrity in order to earn trust from others. When you have developed a bond of mutual trust with another person, you must do everything in your power to protect and defend that trust. That means you must always consider the highest good of all people involved whenever you make decisions or plans, or you take on additional responsibilities and tasks, and you must always communicate your feelings, intentions and needs with integrity.

Trust is also another aspect of faith. When you consider your relationships with God, angels, spirit guides and ascended masters, the trust and faith that you place in them is a necessary element of your relationship. You cannot pray to God without faith and trust that He has already taken care of your needs before you even thought to ask for His assistance. Likewise, God may not reward you with blessings or guide you toward the right choices and actions that would lead to your success if you do not have any trust or faith in Him. This is not to say that God's grace is reliant upon faith and that your prayers would go unanswered if you didn't have enough faith--but it is more effective to pray or seek guidance when you have faith.

Gratitude is the element of a divine life that is most often overlooked but it never should be forgotten or ignored! You must express gratitude for all that you already have and enjoy and never take anything you have for granted. Do not expect that what you have right now are your basic fundamental rights because everything, including human rights, can be taken away or violated by others. Everything you have and appreciate at this moment is the result of blessings and good tidings that have come your way in life, and you must honour all of them by expressing and demonstrating your gratitude as often as you possibly can. In your personal relationships you also need to express your gratitude so the people around you know that what they do is noticed, appreciated, and valued by you. Many people base their feelings of self worth on the feedback and reactions they receive from the people in their lives, so you are blessing and honouring them when you express your gratitude. You also raise your spiritual vibrations to a higher level and enable prosperity and blessings to flow more abundantly in your life when you give thanks regularly and habitually.

Give thanks to the people around you, your spirit guides, angels and God every time you receive a blessing. I'm sure you've heard the saying, "You give what you get," and this is a simplified but accurate way of looking at things. However, it is far more accurate to say, "You receive what you give," because giving is the first step in the equation. Give your partner love, respect, honesty and trust in order to receive the same from him or her. Give kindness, understanding, support and patience to others and you will be treated the same way in return more often than not. Give everything that is yours to give, and give the most of what you have the greatest supply of: love.

Live your life in alignment with the highest good, with wisdom, trust, honour and gratitude, and you will enjoy a greater sense of personal well being, happiness, joy and fulfillment. You will be able to achieve more and greater things in life when you remain mindful of these ideas and aspirations, and you will never be alone when you make a habit of offering trust, respect, honesty, gratitude and affection to others.

Heal Your Mind

When your spiritual energy is out of alignment and unbalanced, you will begin to experience disturbances in your head and your thoughts with increased tension headaches and migraines, stress, anxiety, depression, anger, pessimism, addictions, eating disorders, among many other potential challenges. You need to meditate to heal your spirit and remove blockages in your energy so that you can heal your mind and recover from addictions, eating disorders, depression, stress, and more.

Once your energy is balanced again, you need to focus on yourself in order to prevent similar blockages and symptoms in the future. You need to accept that annoyances, betrayals, heartbreaks, and compulsive behaviours are your responsibility and not the fault of any other person or outside influence in your life. Create and sustain a positive internal dialogue, using the most positive perspectives on all things in your life. When you encounter negative feelings, don't just ignore and deny them. Put them aside until you have time to meditate and then explore why you had the negative reaction you experienced. When you understand the inner source of your disappointments, irritations and conflicts it's much easier to heal them and prevent them from reoccurring in the future.

I can work with you, using guided meditations to teach you how to think more positive and loving thoughts that will empower you to manifest the life of your dreams. I will help you find the meditations that are most effective for you, and help you develop your own unique and meaningful spiritual practices that really work for you. I can help raise the vibrations of your spirit so you can receive divine guidance from your own spirit guides and higher self.

Healing Sound & Energy Meditation

Meditation can promote healing and well being of your body, mind and spirit. There are so many different ways to meditate and if you are struggling with illness, stress or emotional issues you could find meditation with sound and energy vibrations to be highly effective for you! Using sound and energy to heal and align your chakras is easy to do in the comfort of your own home with the help of meditation tools like baoding balls, chimes and bells, or even chimes and nature sounds blended together on a meditation music CD.

I recently bought a set of taiji baoding balls for myself and find meditating with them is extremely helpful for my health and overall sense of well being. Start by rolling a single ball in either your left or right hand, whichever is most comfortable for you. Slowly roll the ball around in your hand, feeling the soothing vibrations as the inner ball rings inside the larger ball. You'll make unique melodies as you roll the ball gently in your hand and the sound and energy vibrations will help align your chakras and release any blockages in your energy.

You'll know you have a blockage in your spiritual energy when the ball suddenly stops rolling smoothly or stops ringing in a pleasing way while you're rolling the baoding ball in either your left or right hand. Points in the palms of your hands connect to all of your chakras, and the left hand is connected to the energies of your past while your right hand connects to the energies of your future. You should meditate with the baoding ball in your left and right hand equally, but pay attention to any of the blockages you find in each hand separately.

A blockage of your energy in the left hand would mean that you need to meditate on releasing pain and trauma from your past in order to heal your body, mind and spirit. Roll the ball gently in your left hand and meditate on the traumatic experiences and losses from your past, and release your old thoughts and painful memories as you listen to the beautiful music coming from the baoding ball in your hand. Soon the blockage will be healed and you'll be able to make a beautiful, healing melody with the ball in that hand as the damage to your chakras is repaired.

If you find blockages in your right hand, it means you must open yourself up to new opportunities and new ideas in order to achieve well being in your future. As you roll the ball in your right hand, you want to meditate on happiness, love, faith and hope for your future. Slowly roll the ball until the blockage is relieved and you can make smooth, beautiful melodies with the ball in your right hand. Healing these blockages will open your heart, mind and your spirit to allow energy to flow freely and balance all of your chakras. This alignment enables you to be more successful, recover from illness and heal your body, relieve stress and anxiety symptoms, and help you experience improved well being going forward in life.

Meditate with a baoding ball in each hand for about five to ten minutes every day to reap the most benefits of healing with sound and energy! I'm using my baoding balls to help me heal painful issues from my past that are blocking my energy and preventing my body from healing itself effectively. I find that the short sound meditation sessions help me achieve inner harmony and the chronic pain I experience is relieved slightly after just a couple days of using the baoding balls in my daily meditation practices. I will update you on the healing process and other meditation techniques that can help you in healing your body, mind and spirit.

Please share any of your thoughts, questions or experiences with healing sound and music in the comments on this blog. The websites I linked to in this article are for your information only. Any products or services sold by these websites are not endorsed by me, but I thought you could find these web site resources informative and useful. If you choose to order some baoding balls or any other products that I linked to in this blog, I hope you'll find the tools useful in your spiritual journey.

~*~Monica Who~*~

Get Outside of Yourself

One problem with depression is that it causes people to constantly dwell on themselves and their problems. You judge yourself and engage in all sorts of negative internal dialogue, and you begin to obsess about your problems--effectively eliminating your ability to attract positive energy and positive experiences into your life! The best way to start breaking this aspect of depression is to get outside of yourself by focusing on others at least once a week (more frequently if your schedule permits).

Take at least a few hours a week to donate your time and energy to others. Volunteer your time to a cause you feel good about. Please DO NOT pick something that might make you sad! If visiting shut-ins or working with abandoned animals will make you sad, you could do something else like volunteer at a thrift store. Find something that benefits others and will help you feel good about yourself at the same time. You will feel good about being in service to others, but while you are donating your time you will think less about your perceived problems, which will go a very long way in helping you recover from depression!

I will continue exploring other very effective ways to break through depression, and I welcome your comments, suggestions, questions and personal stories.

~*~Monica Who~*~

Work With What's Working

One of the first steps to overcoming depression is to work with what's working. I know, it seems pretty simple, but when you're suffering from depression it can be difficult to even recognize what's working in your life, let alone work with it! The other day in my post Break Through Depression, I asked you to make a list of what's working in your life. Some people misinterpreted the question to mean "what works to help you get through or avoid depression?" All the suggestions I received were very good and many happen to be covered in my upcoming posts on this topic. However, if you were one of the people who misinterpreted the question, what I mean is: what do you have or do in your life right now that you are satisfied with?

There's an old saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water." Depression will trick you into believing that your whole life is a waste and there's nothing good about it, but that isn't true. Even if your "what's working" list is short, there are some things that you've got going on in your life right now that are good. If your depression really has a hold on you, it's quite normal for the "what's working" list to be short because depression robs you of the ability to see your life clearly.

The chances are pretty high that the things which are causing you pain and sadness are things you are powerless to change. They're things out of your control, and things you just have to learn to live with. It takes time to be okay with those losses and disappointments, but the only way you'll be able to learn to live with them is if you start living again! In order to do that, you need to recognize your right to enjoy life and then actively seek positive experiences.

Now that you have your list, even if it's short, the next step is to explore how you can maximize your enjoyment of these things, and what other opportunities for enjoyment they provide. If your job is something that's really working for you right now, you may not be able to work more hours to get more enjoyment, and that might not be healthy anyhow. However, you can explore the opportunities available to you because of your work and you might find additional ways to maximize enjoyment. For example, does your work provide opportunities for travel or meeting new people? These are things you could take advantage of to increase your enjoyment of life overall. Take the things on your list and seek ways to increase your enjoyment of them and ways to celebrate them.

Don't tell me that it's selfish to become a pleasure seeker. You need to realize that you can't be as good a friend, parent, or employee while struggling with depression as you can be when you're happy and healthy. You need to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else. It's time to take charge of your life again and refuse to let depression rob you of any more positive experiences!

~*~Monica Who~*~

Create a "Happy Trigger"

Events in your daily life trigger emotional reactions; they can trigger joy and gratitude, stress and anxiety, or even sadness and depression. Something as simple as a scent or a smile from a stranger can trigger emotions. Today I want to teach you how to create a "happy trigger" that can pull you back into a state of joy and optimism whenever you need it, regardless of other events triggering different emotional reactions.

If you read my post yesterday, Break Through Depression, then you've probably made a list of things that are working in your life and you might be wondering what to do next. Don't worry--I'll come back to that. Today, see if you can add at least one more thing to that list...

I want to teach you how to create a "happy trigger" right now because it can take some practice and I want you to start right away.

Think about a time in your life when you were truly happy. Think of your happiest memory. Close your eyes and recreate that memory in your mind with as much detail as possible. Hold it firmly in your mind; replay it a few times until that blissful emotion fills your heart completely. Now place your right hand over your heart while you replay that memory. Feel your heart beating while you experience the joy of your happiest memory. Breathe deeply and evenly. Hold your hand over your heart for three to five minutes while you focus on the emotions triggered by your happiest memory.

Repeat this exercise twice a day for a week. If you find your mind drifting, think of other happy memories to prevent boredom. As you recapture the positive emotions of your joyful memories, breathe evenly and hold your right hand over your heart. You are training your mind and creating a "happy trigger." Soon you will be able to place your hand over your heart, take deep and even breaths, and instantly experience deep feelings of happiness. It will take practice for your mind to associate the gesture of placing your hand over your heart with experiencing positive emotions, so continue to work at it every day until you are able to experience instant joy with this simple gesture.

Use this trigger to bring you back to a state of joy whenever life starts to get you down. When you're in a state of joy, it's much easier to see your life as a gift and you will find it much easier to face challenges with optimism. You can start to find and act upon solutions to your depression once you have a positive and optimistic perspective.

Depression will tempt you to hold onto pain, to wallow in it until you feel nothing else. Depression will lie to you. Depression will tell you that the slightest upset, disappointment or set back in your day means that you will never be happy and your life is worthless. Depression will tell you there's no way to restore hope, and that Monica's "happy trigger" suggestion is stupid, pointless and will never work. These thoughts can be so convincing, but they are lies. Remember: you were happy in the past which means you can be happy again! It isn't even as difficult as your depression wants you to believe.

~*~Monica Who~*~

Break Through Depression

The holiday season can be a difficult time, especially if things aren't going right in your life or you're struggling with unfulfilled hopes and dreams. This is the time of year when depression can really sink in. One thing I've learned about life is that life is really cool! It has a way of surprising you in the most unexpected ways. However, depression robs you of the ability to step back and say, "Wow, life is so amazing!" When you're depressed, everything seems to get worse and worse.

I say this because I know depression. I have dealt with and overcome severe depression and I know how difficult it can be to break through it. I want to do everything I can to help others break through and be able to experience the awe and joy that life has to offer! Over the next little while, I'm going to post several articles about overcoming depression, with specific tips to help you get the most enjoyment out of your life.

I encourage you to share your thoughts and experiences with comments or private emails. Talking about it is an important step to breaking through it because it helps you to see that you're not alone. No one will ever have the same experiences that you have or feel the same way that you feel because you are unique in every way, but seeing that others have similar experiences and feelings will benefit you.

The first thing I want you to do is take an honest look at your life and answer this question: what is really working for you? You already know what isn't working, your depression reminds you of those things multiple times every day, but if you honestly look at your life, you will discover that some things really are working. Maybe it's just that your cat purrs when you give her love--but that's something! Make a list of everything that is working (and feel free to add it to the comments for this post). Writing the list might even make you smile--and tomorrow I'll write about what to do next.

Last year at this time, I found myself struggling with the most severe depression of my life and I wasn't enjoying the holiday season. I had always loved Christmas time, and I was honestly angry that depression was robbing me of that! I was enjoying my work though, and that gave me something to start with. I took an honest inventory of all the things that were working for me and it helped me regain hope and be able to see some solutions.

I look forward to helping you discover your solutions too!

~*~Monica Who~*~

Take a Brief Meditation Retreat

If you're feeling stressed, run-down or burnt out by your hectic life, get instant relief and spiritual enlightenment by taking a brief meditation retreat. You will need to physically retreat to a private location such as your bedroom, the balcony, a quiet spot outdoors, or any other place where you can have privacy. Turn off your cell phone and remove any other distractions--this will be a relatively short break from your hectic life (ten or fifteen minutes will do), so you don't need to worry about the phone or anything else. Make yourself comfortable. Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, or even a light snack during your retreat.

That's the retreat part of the plan, now onto the meditation. Use this short time to ponder a concept, idea or question. Some good examples are the nature of love, the benefits of friendship, the idea of unconditional trust, etc. If you are troubled by an issue in your life, such as conflict with a co-worker, you can use it as your topic for your brief retreat but just don't be too specific. (This retreat is not to be used for fretting about specific issues of your day-to-day routine.) For example, ponder a related concept such as competition or a question like, "How can I improve my communication skills to reduce conflict with others?" During your retreat, think about your chosen concept, idea or question and exclude all other thoughts.

Your brief meditation retreat is a light meditation session. The privacy and relaxation will help refresh and recharge you, and the meditation will lead to deeper understanding of the issues in your life as well as spiritual enlightenment.

When your ten or fifteen minutes are up, return to your regular routine even if you have not reached a deep understanding of your concept or answers to your question. Don't worry--you can continue pondering on your next retreat.

Make the brief meditation retreat part of your daily routine to promote inner peace, enlightenment and wellness. This his how I start every single day, and I take several brief retreats throughout the day (anytime I need a short break) and it helps me to recharge between sessions with my clients, remain centered and develop a deeper understanding of myself, interactions with other people, and life in general. Some people feel too busy for a half hour or an hour of meditation every day, but anyone can make ten minutes for a little relaxation and meditation!

~*~Monica Who~*~

P.S. If you need a really good meditation topic, one that will keep you thinking endlessly, I highly recommend my personal favourite: the reality of illusion and the illusion of reality. I guarantee this one will continuously challenge and expand your perceptions for the rest of your life!

Prepare for the New Year and Manifest Your Dreams!

You might wonder why you should prepare for the New Year now because there's still six weeks left in 2007, and you probably have to make preparations for the holiday season. Of course you don't need to prepare for the New Year, you can just go with the flow and see what happens, but it's your future and I don't think there's any good reason to skip planning for your happiness and success. Next year you are going to manifest your dreams, in accordance with your highest good and the highest good of all concerned! Especially if you have never tried manifesting before, I want you to give this a try...

Sit down and spend some time really thinking about what would make you truly happy next year. What would make you feel fulfilled and also benefit the people around you? What would make your life easier? What do you want to accomplish in 2008?

Now get a piece of paper and get ready to make a list. At the top of the paper write, "I will receive guidance and support to make these dreams a reality in 2008."

Write down your dreams and goals for 2008. You may want to break your list down into categories such as: family life, social life, romantic life, spiritual life, financial life, material possessions, and self improvement. Think about what you want from your personal relationships, where you want to be living, things you want to own that will make your life easier, and definitely do not forget any improvements you intend to make for your mind, body and spirit. You can also add dreams that simply increase your enjoyment of life such as your hobbies, travel and recreation.

Be specific about your goals; instead of "make more money" you may want to write "increase earnings by 30%." Of course there is no limit to how much you can manifest in 2008, but you do need to understand that you and God are partners in manifesting your dreams and God will only allow what is in your highest good. For some people, a sudden windfall of money (like winning the lottery) can cause a great deal of turmoil if they are not prepared. It would not be in your highest good to suddenly have ten million dollars unless your personal relationships are strong and healthy enough, and you have overcome any addictive tendencies, for example. This doesn't mean you can't manifest lottery winnings in 2008--but if you want to add that to your list, be sure to think about what else you might need in order to cope with the financial blessing.

When you have completed your list, read it over several times to make sure you didn't overlook anything. Finally write at the bottom of the list, "My dreams for 2008 will be fulfilled in accordance with the highest good for myself and everyone concerned." Then fold up your list and put it away where you will not be tempted to read it. I bury my list in my bowl of power stones, but another good idea is to put the list with your holiday decorations so it will be stored through the year and you will not have access to it again until the holiday season near the end of 2008. The idea is to put the list away and forget about it: not to forget about your dreams, but to put the list out of sight and out of mind.

If you have never tried manifesting your dreams, you might be skeptical. That's okay; I was skeptical my first time too! But I wrote down my goals for the following three years and long term goals I intended to achieve within ten years. You may want to do this as well (just make the necessary adjustments to the statements you write at the top and bottom of the list.) When I did go over my list a year later, I was very surprised. I had not only manifested 80% of the dreams for the first year, but in my first year I had also manifested several items listed for two and three years ahead! The dreams I was not able to manifest in my first year were dreams that did not serve the highest good of two very special people in my life, so I had no problems accepting that these dreams did not come to pass. I know they will manifest when the time is right, so I do not need to give up on those dreams--I just need to be patient.

Go ahead and make your list today, before you get too busy with the holiday season, and get ready to enjoy the best year of your life so far and the start of even better things to come!

~*~Monica Who~*~

That Hurts, Stop It!

As a young child, you may have learned that touching a hot stove causes pain and therefore you should not touch a hot stove. Physical pain teaches us a very simple and logical lesson: stop that and don't do that again. So why then do so many of us refuse to learn the exact same message from our emotional pain?

The truth is that most people fail to realize that our pain is a result of something we are doing and instead, we seek to blame the pain on an external source. We blame other people, circumstances, and even God for our pain. This leads us to develop the false belief that something else is responsible for our pain and therefore we cannot heal or prevent further pain ourselves. In some cases people do blame themselves and then begin to punish themselves, which leads to even more pain! Stop looking for someone or something to blame.

I'm not saying that the actions of other people cannot hurt you--but I seek to remind you that you have the power to learn from your pain and to stop doing whatever you were doing that resulted in the emotional injury, just as you would learn to not touch a hot stove after being burned. If you don't start learning from your emotional pain so you can heal and grow, you will start learning how to numb your pain through addictions to drugs, alcohol, sex, food, or other activities. Perhaps you have already started using addiction to avoid learning from your pain, and addictions (regardless of the form they take) always lead to more emotional turmoil and troubles in your life.

The next time you find yourself broken-hearted, crying your eyes out, blaming someone for your pain, shaking your fists at God, or turning toward addictions, stop and take a long look at what has happened to make you feel such pain. Rather than placing blame on any outside influence or punishing yourself, ask yourself what you could do differently to stop this pain and avoid it in the future. The answer may be tough to face, and the solution may involve taking an action (such as getting out of a toxic relationship) that you hoped you wouldn't have to do.

Turning away from, numbing or ignoring your pain will not help you; it is a deliberate choice to ignore the opportunity for growth and healing. Truly facing and learning from your pain takes courage and strength and you may be afraid to do it on your own, but you don't have to do it alone! True wisdom includes asking for help when you need it: ask your angels for help, seek the guidance and support of a therapist or counselor, or participate in a twelve step support group.

If you burn yourself on a hot stove, you learn to not touch a hot stove again and you tend to your injury to promote healing. When you learn from your emotional pain, also stop and take care of yourself as well. You may get hurt in different ways in the future, but you will truly benefit from taking the time to really learn the lesson your pain is trying to teach you.

~*~Monica Who~*~

Introduction to Meditation

Meditation is a practice that brings inner peace and harmony, spiritual enlightenment, healing, balance and overall wellness for your mind, body and spirit. Meditation is a vital aspect of spiritual growth and it can also be used for getting in touch with your innermost feelings and developing greater awareness of your body. Regular meditation will help you cope with stress and toxic emotions, feel stronger and healthier, and can even help you overcome problems such as insomnia, depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, post traumatic stress, eating disorders, addictions, phobias, high blood pressure, chronic pain, and much more! Meditation is also the best way to initiate contact with angels.

I cannot tell you how many times people have asked me how to meditate! First, I want to tell you that meditation is not difficult; with just a little practice, you will be on your way to achieving all the benefits of meditation.

Relaxation is a key element to any meditation. You may want to meditate lying down with your eyes closed, but you might find yourself drifting off to sleep. If you want to meditate in a sitting position, make sure to employ good posture, with your back straight so you can breathe evenly from your diaphragm. Breathe deeply and evenly, and release all tension from your body.

There are countless ways to meditate, but there are two general methods of meditation. The first method is to focus your thoughts on a concept, idea or image and the second method is clear your mind of all thoughts, enabling messages from your angels, spirit guides and higher self to flow into your mind unencumbered by your mental clutter. You will find the first method much easier at first but both methods require a great deal of concentration, which is not a natural state for the human mind! For whichever method of meditation you choose, you must first train your mind to concentrate.

In the beginning it's best that you do not try to force concentration, rather begin by allowing your mind to wander freely. This can be both entertaining and enlightening as you learn more about your innermost thoughts. Once you have allowed your mind to wander freely, you will find it easier to focus your thoughts. I recommend that you give yourself fifteen to twenty minutes of roaming thought before you settle down and attempt to focus (use a timer). As you develop your skill, gradually reduce the time for rambling thought until you no longer need to give this freedom to your mind.

Concentration and focus can be achieved through several means. Here are a few that I find useful:

1. Focus on the sensations of your body. Control your breathing, listen to your heart beat, become fully aware of the air surrounding you and the feeling of the surface you're sitting or resting on.
2. Think of and make yourself fully aware of just one part of your body, such as your hand, and exclude all other sensations in the rest of your body.
3. Repeat a mantra over and over, either out loud or within your mind. Phrases from the Bible are useful mantras when you want to connect with angels and feel closer to God. A good example is, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want," but of course there are many others that would work. Choose any phrase that inspires inner peace for you.
4. Visualize a simple object, shape or colour and think of nothing else until your mind is fully focused and undisturbed by any other thoughts or images.
5. Focus on one single emotion (love is best when you seek to connect with angels) until you fully grasp the meaning and experience of it.
6. Focus on a physical object such as a burning candle or power stone.
7. Focus on a mandala (an image portraying religious or mystical concepts; generally an image within a circle inside a square, with intricate or kaleidoscopic patterns.)

Training your mind to focus and concentrate may not be as easy as it sounds, but with continued practice you will achieve success. Include meditation in your daily routine to reap the full benefits for your mind, body and spirit, and in time you'll find that you can meditate in any position, anytime and anywhere!

~*~Monica Who~*~

P.S. Stay tuned--in a few days I will post about a simple yet beneficial meditation practice that even the busiest person can incorporate into their daily routine. I understand some people feel they cannot make time for extensive meditation every day.

Mind-Body-Spirit Wellness: Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference

A balanced approach toward personal wellness involves taking steps to improve the health of your mind, body and spirit. We're all aware of the ways mental and emotional stress can negatively impact your physical health, and likewise, how struggling with illness can make you unhappy.

Taking care of your body is something you probably know the most about because physical health information is presented to us on a regular basis. You know that eating a balanced diet and living an active lifestyle are two things that can really improve your physical health. What you might not realize is that while you're exercising, you have an excellent opportunity to improve your mental or spiritual health at the same time by meditating. There are many forms of meditation and you don't have to be completely relaxed and perfectly still to meditate. While you're exercising, you can explore philosophical questions, contemplate the events of your life, engage in conversation with your angels, explore new ideas, and work through your emotions.

Many people find religious study and activities to be a vital part of their spiritual wellness, but religion isn't the only way to improve the health of your spirit. Appreciating nature and the divine connection between all living things is one very good way. Find ways that you're comfortable with and keep an open mind about new ways and new spiritual ideas that are presented to you. Studying other spiritual beliefs is a good way to enhance the health of your spirit and your mind at the same time--don't worry that you're somehow betraying your beliefs by learning more about what other people believe.

Taking care of your mental health means improving your psychology as well as your mental focus and intellect. Try to reduce and relieve stress, sort through and express your emotions (at least through journaling), and also devote some time to learning and exercising your memory.

Making time for improving the health of your mind, body and spirit can be a lot easier than you might think, and even small changes can make a big difference in your overall wellness. Set aside some time each day for taking care of your mind, body and spirit--and combine these activities when you can. Also, try new things and change your routine from time to time to prevent boredom and becoming stagnant.

~*~Monica Who~*~

Desperate to Hold Onto You

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV

Desperation is not one of the hallmarks of love, and feelings of desperation are a clear sign that your relationship is unhealthy, dysfunctional, and definitely toxic. If you, someone you care about, or someone you're romantically involved with is feeling or exhibiting signs of desperation, listen up!

You are responsible for your own happiness in life. This statement is absolutely true and it should be empowering. A relationship with another person cannot be your sole reason for living. If you find yourself feeling this way, you need to STOP and re-examine your life. Don't waste another minute pinning all your hopes and aspirations on another frail and fallible human being. You absolutely must find gratitude and joy in the world around you, and if you are unable to do this, you need to seek professional help--for your own good and for the sake of everyone you care about.

Depression is a monster and it can come into your life as the result of loneliness, disappointment, real or perceived failures, and many other painful experiences. Everyone has felt depression--to some degree--at some point in their life, so there is no reason to feel embarrassed or ashamed about seeking help for your depression. Depression can be the result of a chemical imbalance that is easily treatable, and it can be the result of deeply rooted psychological issues that can also be treated and healed through counseling and also spiritual support. Whatever the cause of the depression, you deserve healing!

It is not uncommon for a person to reach a point where they feel their romantic relationship is not working--for whatever reason--and they want to break it off but the person they're involved with threatens to commit suicide if they break up. This very situation happened to me many years ago when I told a boyfriend that it was time for both of us to move on from the relationship. He threatened to commit suicide, and he knew he could expect a strong reaction from me because this happened only a few months after my brother had tragically ended his own life. I certainly did react strongly, but it was not my loving and compassionate nature that came out at that moment! I was absolutely furious that he would attempt to manipulate and control me in such a way. I also found it incredibly disrespectful that he would try to use my intense grief and feelings of guilt regarding my brother's death to get what he wanted. So I called his bluff and told him to go ahead and do it, right then and there while I watched (of course he didn't).

To be perfectly honest, I didn't handle it the best way I could have! I reacted from a place of hurt and anger, and I know now that there were better ways to deal with this type of situation. However, if a person threatens to hurt themselves because you want to break off the relationship, it is a deliberate and inherently cruel attempt at manipulation and control. They want to play on your compassion and concern as a means of holding onto you, and to create fear and an unreasonable sense of responsibility for their life. The other person may be emotionally immature as a result of youth and inexperience (as was the case with my former boyfriend) but it still doesn't give them a right to control you. If you stay in the relationship out of guilt and fear, the relationship cannot be fulfilling to either one of you; it will still reach its inevitable end, and the resulting emotional trauma to both of you could be far more severe than if you break up now.

In most of these situations, the other person is bluffing and has no intention of doing anything to hurt themselves. The chances are you do still care what happens to them--you've just reached a point where you know the romantic relationship cannot continue. The best thing you can do is tell the other person that you do care but you cannot take on that type of responsibility. Give them the telephone number for a 24 hour crisis intervention hot-line, the address and number for a clinic that offers free crisis counseling, or other resources that can help them. Urge them to seek help for their depression so they can get the most out of life! This is the best thing you can do for them, whether they're bluffing or suffering from depression. If the other person is truly depressed, you most likely do not have the ability to heal them, and you cannot afford the expense to your own well being if you attempt to.

If you find yourself feeling desperate to hold onto a romantic relationship, you need to stop and ask yourself why! Perhaps you are not so desperate that you would threaten or even attempt to hurt yourself, but any sense of desperation is a warning sign that something is profoundly wrong in the relationship itself and possibly in your spirit and psyche. You don't want to go through life relying on another human being for happiness and the will to live--you want and deserve to feel joy from even the tiniest miracles life has to offer! You might be suffering from a chemical imbalance, or you might even be involved in a relationship that has become so toxic that you can't even enjoy the rest of the world around you! No matter who you are or what has happened in your life, you don't deserve to feel so afraid of loss and rejection. If you can't pull yourself out of this emotional turmoil, ask for help from your doctor, your loved ones and even God and your angels. You're not alone and you're worth so much more than this!

~*~Monica Who~*~

Cleansing Your Aura

You are a spirit living inside a physical body, and your aura is a subtle, luminous energy field within and around your body that can range up to three to seven feet from your body. When you get a feeling of someone standing too close and invading your "space," this is actually another person's aura interacting with your own auric field and producing an uncomfortable reaction or impression. We are all born with a pure aura, but over time the aura can become "cloudy" from negative energy left over from trauma, illness, drug or alcohol abuse, toxic emotions and imbalances in your chakras. A clear aura attracts positive energy and allows the flow of abundance and blessings in your life, but a clouded or disrupted aura attracts only negative energy, conflict, struggle and loss.

An aura is typically only visible to those who are born with or develop the skill to see it, but every living person, animal, and plant has an aura. When the aura is perceived, the aura contains various colours reflecting the spiritual energy, emotions, thoughts, and even physical health of the person, plant or creature. Sometimes the part of the aura surrounding the head creates a halo effect, especially around awakened souls, saints and enlightened beings.

Signs and symptoms of a disrupted or cloudy aura in need of cleansing include fatigue, lack of vitality, energy or enthusiasm for life, negative or distorted thoughts, negative or intense emotions, feeling disconnected from your self, your emotions, your mind, other people, nature, or God (or other higher spiritual forces), sudden mood swings, panic attacks and intense anxiety, unexplained physical pain or discomfort not caused by an illness or injury to the body, and sleep disturbances*.

When your aura has come into contact with an incompatible aura, or has been bombarded with negative energy, you will want to cleanse your aura to release negativity and restore harmony. Cleanse your aura by showering or dancing in the rain, soaking in an epsom salt bath, smudging with sage (waving the sage smoke through your entire aura), meditation, or deep cleansing breaths. You may find it helpful to use meditation music or keep background sound to a bare minimum, and perform your aura cleansing in a dimly lit environment. Clear your mind and visualize negativity floating away from you with every breath you exhale. It might also help to visualize a beam of white light channeled down through your Crown chakra at the top of your head, with pure white energy moving throughout your entire body. Essential oils, holy water, and tobacco smoke (used for smudging, not inhaling) are other substances that can help cleanse the aura and release negative energies.

Another method for cleansing your aura is called "smoothing" and involves running your hands over your auric field, gently smoothing it out from above your head to the ground at your feet; power stones are beneficial for "smoothing" sessions--but take care if you're not accustomed to working with power stones because you could cause further disruption to your aura with particularly strong stones.

Keep your aura healthy with physical exercise, healthy diet and plenty of water, balanced and consistent sleep routine, breathing exercises, singing or chanting, connecting with nature, prayer and meditation, listening to music that makes you feel happy (raising the vibrations in your aura), and healing with colour therapy. Colour therapy involves visualizing a specific colour while meditating; green is a healing and calming colour and can be used effectively for clearing the aura and promoting good spiritual health.


*These symptoms are not exclusive to problems with your aura. If you experience these symptoms, please see a medical doctor in addition to clearing your aura. Clearing your aura unnecessarily will not harm you, but ignoring symptoms that might be related to a serious medical condition could be very dangerous.

~*~Monica Who~*~


Related & newer blog articles:
Understanding Your Chakras and Spiritual Energy
Healing Our Wounded Souls